1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to methods and devices used for degrading organic waste and, more specifically to a method and device for maintaining an effective bacterial level within the collecting chamber of an organic matter collection system.
2. Prior Art
The disposal of the grease and oil generated during the operation of a facility such as a restaurant is becoming increasingly difficult because of the imposition of stringent municipal waste disposal regulations. In the past, a common solution to the disposal problem was to simply pour the waste oils and liquified grease into a drain connected to the waste water disposal system. This solution was not without its drawbacks. The grease and oils accumulated within the pipes causing blockages in the lines and sewer backups within the establishment. To minimize these new problems, organic matter collection systems, often referred to as grease traps, are installed within the flow path of the waste water disposal system. These collection systems have a collecting container that provides favorable conditions for the accumulation of the greases and oils in a specific location. The collecting container is generally accessible to maintenance personnel to allow for removal of the accumulation of grease and oil. Thus, the original problem of disposal has returned.
One solution to the disposal of grease, oil and other organic matter collected within the collecting container of an organic matter collection system is to inoculate the liquid within the collecting container with bacterial cultures containing grease and oil degrading bacteria. The bacteria degrade the greases and oils into compounds which will not cause blockages within the wastewater disposal system and which may be disposed into the wastewater disposal system under the disposal regulations.
Various devices and methods have been designed in an attempt to effectively implement this solution. One method is to prepare and pour a solution containing bacterial cultures into the waste water disposal system via the drains within the establishment. However, because the bacteria containing solution must typically be prepared about an hour in advance and may, therefore, be forgotten or overlooked in the course of a busy day; and because, once poured into the wastewater disposal system, the great majority of bacteria may flow through and past the collecting container and, therefore, requires the use of a large quantity of bacterial cultures; this solution can make maintaining an effective bacterial level within the collecting container both time consuming and expensive to implement.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,925,564, 4,810,385 and 4,670,149 disclose other attempts to provide workable devices and methods for maintaining the bacterial level within the collecting container of an organic matter collection system. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,925,564 and 4,670,149, invented by John Francis, issued on May 15, 1990, and Jun. 2, 1987, respectively, describe methods which include positioning, within the collecting container, a bacterial incubator adapted to float at the air to liquid interface. Bacteria cultures are then added to the wastewater system by preparing and pouring a solution containing the bacteria cultures into the drains within the establishment. Because the solution containing the bacteria cultures must be prepared in advance and the solution is added to the aqueous medium, this method is subject to the same flow-through and preparation time problems previously discussed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,385, invented by Gary Hater, Mark Krupka and Lois Davis, issued on Mar. 7, 1989, describes a porous fabric sock-like member filled with dried bacterial cultures. The sock is placed directly in the path of the waste stream flow. As the waste stream flows through the sock-like member the dried bacterial cultures or microorganisms are wetted and released into the stream. Because the majority of bacterial cultures or micro-organisms are released during periods of high wastewater flow, using this type of device can result in an expensive loss of bacterial cultures from the collecting container. In addition, replacing spent sock-like members can be objectionable because the sock-like member is usually saturated with sewage.
It would, therefore, be desirable to have a device and method for maintaining the bacterial level within the collecting container of an organic matter collection system that will maintain effective bacterial levels within the collecting container, that is inexpensive to implement, that does not require prior preparation, that is not objectionable to the person practicing the method and that requires only minimal training to use and practice.